Category: Debate

I hope you found the last installment (purposes of cross-examination) helpful! Of course, understanding what you should aim to accomplish in CX is crucial to actually being effective in your rounds — but head knowledge means nothing unless you can actually implement it. The first question of implementation is this: how should you conduct yourself in cross-ex?

What if we spoke less and listened more? It seems like a silly question to ask in the context of competitive speech and debate, but fortunately for us, in debate it includes a built-in Q&A segment after each constructive speech. Debate is often thought of in terms of argument, counterargument, counter-counterargument, and so on — and it is therefore easy to overlook those three minutes of Q&A after each constructive. However, those six (for LD) or twelve (for TP) minutes may be more important than any speech in the round…

As my good friend, NCFCA TP Champion and coach, Rebecca Frazer said, "Good communication is practically always thematic. Your favorite movies are your favorite movies because they leave you with strong, central feelings. Every round strategy–aff or neg–must be centered around a strong theme. Stating a value in a case does not make it thematic, nor does stating a negative philosophy. Some of the best values I have ever seen in debate are so obvious that they don’t even need to be labeled–every argument the team makes ties back to a clear idea that they value. Please don’t let your judge leave the debate round wondering, “Hmm, so I wonder what was really important to them?”

The same is true for Speech. You want your audience to remember you- as well as what you have said, or performed. How?! This can be done by having a theme! A theme can be an underlying topic or recurring idea in your speech. Your memory is powered by your brain, which is full of emotions. Those emotions can be triggered by impacting the audience through a theme. Think about it- a judge will listen to 8 students give a speech for 10 minutes each... That's 80 minutes of speeches! You want to be sure they remember you! How can that be done?

You need to be a member to view this content. Please sign up or login.

Often times debate students, whether it be LD, TP, or Parli, often have trouble seeing past the debate round when it comes to their impacts. While there is nothing wrong per say with wanting to win, if we are not able to show the judge(s) the implications of our logic and arguments in the real world, we will have missed what debate is all about. Luke McConnel will present their case for Big Picture Argumentation in his Online Workshop this weekend (Sat. Oct. 6, 11:00am CT). Read on… or sign up HERE.

Debate is really just a formal structure that helps us have a conversation about whether or not we should choose to make a change. At it’s core, it’s just a conversation, but there are ways we can improve our communication skills which will help us elevate our debating skills above just arguing with your siblings, friends, or parents. When we show up to a formal debate, we don’t just want to impress our judge with our arguments, but also our speaking ability and persuasiveness.

In this video, “Elements of Effective Communication”, I’ll be going over some basic communication tips, like eye contact and body control, but also going deeper into what it means to be a well rounded speaker, using ethos, pathos, and logos, and some do’s and don’ts to improve your skills.

Catherine graduated high school this past year and is taking a gap year to do a business internship through the program “Praxis.” After that, she is not sure if she will go to college or pursue other career paths, but she is interested in business, politics, and loves cooking, biking, and traveling. As a coach, she is passionate about helping debaters actually understand the arguments they are running, and focusing on quality over quantity of arguments. Catherine competed in TP with NCFCA for 5 years, and qualified to Nationals all 4 years of high school, finishing first in at-large her junior and senior years. She enjoyed partnering with both her older sister and younger brother, both of whom taught her very different skills. She won four debate tournaments over the years and was honored to get a 4th place speaker award at Nationals in 2015.

–

Remember THIS Saturday Oct. 6, we have Luke McConnell presenting his workshop on Big Picture Argumentation. For more information or to sign up CLICK HERE.

We still have room available… whether you are a coach, parent, or student – these workshops are for YOU! Workshops will be added… our October schedule will be coming out soon.

TP Debate Prep with Eric Meinerding – TONIGHT 8pm CT

As the tournament season approaches you may be starting to panic at the thought of all the research you’re going to have to do between now and your first tournament. How, you may ask, will I prepare to debate cases I don’t even know of yet? The strategies taught, can be cross applied to different leagues!

Eric Meinerding will be going over a different argument and research method that will not only help you make the most of your preparation time before the tournaments start, but also give you a strategic edge against your opponents in round. While debating for Liberty University’s varsity debate team, their seasoned professional coaches taught Eric this approach to debate that has literally decades of proven success. Whether you’ve been debating for four years or this is you first season, Eric will be able to teach you how to research arguments that can apply well to every case and interact with one another to secure rounds against squirrel cases where you may not have the first idea what they are talking about.

Which do you pick first? A platform speech category or a platform speech topic? Do you decide to write a persuasive and then look for the perfect persuasive topic or become passionate about a speech on baking long before you decide it’d make the perfect after dinner on household mishaps and learning to laugh at yourself?

Maybe you haven’t ever thought about this question, but it is an important step in the process of crafting an excellent platform speech. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, so how you choose to answer the question will shape the rhetoric of your speech, its momentum, and your own growth as a speaker. If you’ve decided that you want to invest in a platform speech this year, whether you have brainstormed ideas or not, this is the workshop that will help you take the next steps. We’ll review the basic categories of platform speeches and look at their goals. We’ll examine the motivations and reasoning behind choosing topics and choosing platform categories, giving special attention to the relationship between these two approaches. We’ll also spend time working through potential topics ideas you may have. This workshop will be an energizing and interactive experience that deepens your understanding of how to craft excellent platform speeches.

Mars Hill Impromptu is an event that can be applied to any aspect of life, regardless of where you are or who you hang out with. I think that MHI is one of the most beneficial events for competitors because it helps train them in how to connect culture and Christianity outside the speech and debate world. Throughout my time at college, I have been able to share the Gospel with numerous people by just talking about a popular song or movie. It truly is such an amazing event, and I think that every competitor should take part in it!

The following topics will be covered in my MHI workshop:

– How to write an effect synopsis
– How to develop a theme for each topic
– How to systematically build the bridge between culture and Christianity
– How to be conversational with rhetoric and body language
– How to share the Gospel in a conversational manner
– How to maximize the efficiency of your prep time

Eric Meinerding saw much success in High School Speech and Debate, and now he has been a college debater for the last two tears. He has gleaned many pivotal lessons from his professional collegiate coaches. He can’t wait to share what he has learned this Wednesday night! Join us in his live online workshop (only $5 for members) titled, “Making the Most Out of TP Prep”, for more info click HERE.

As a novice, you probably have a lot of questions about speech and debate. I know it can be like drinking out of a fire hydrant when all this new information is thrown at you. Researching for Debate is something that a lot of novices are intimidated by. After all, the world wide web is a BIG place, with LOTs of information… where do you even start?

Some years ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine about the difficulties of being on the negative side in team policy and what to do about it. Reflecting on that conversation and many more since I’ve put some serious thought into why affirmative teams have such a seemingly significant advantage particularly at Nationals…

If there is one thing you can be totally confident of hearing at the end of every speech or debate round, it is that question, “how was your round?” A proverbial fly on the wall of the hangout room would assume that contriving unique conversation starters is not something speakers and debaters excel in. It would probably be right. But a more serious trend that should probably leave us all a bit uneasy is debaters responding to that question with some sort of accusation of unethical behavior from their opponent…